The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #83746   Message #4187402
Posted By: GUEST,Gabriel
11-Sep-23 - 11:35 AM
Thread Name: Origins: Bantry Girl's Lament
Subject: RE: Origins: Bantry Girl's Lament
As above (from me, Gabriel Scally) the lyrics as given in the earliest recognised text that I have located, are as follows:

O who will plough the field, or who will sell the corn?
O who will wash the sheep, an' have 'em nicely shorn?
The stack that's on the haggard, unthrashed it may remain
Since Johnny went a-thrashing the dirty King o’ Spain

The girls from the bawnoge in sorrow may retire
And the piper and his bellows may go home and blow the fire
For Johnny, lovely Johnny, is sailin’ o'er the main
Along with other pathriarchs, to fight the King o' Spain

The boys will sorely miss him when Moneyhore comes round
And grieve that their bould captain is nowhere to be found
The peelers must stand idle against their will and grain
For the valiant boy who gave them work now peels the King o' Spain

At wakes and hurling matches your like we'll never see
Till you come back again to us a-stóir grádh geal mo-chroídhe
And won't you throunce the buckeens that shows us much disdain
Bekase our eyes are not as black as those you'll meet in Spain

If cruel fate will not permit our Johnny to return
His heavy loss we Bantry girls will never cease to mourn
We'll resign ourselves to our sad lot, and die in grief and pain
Since Johnny died for Ireland's pride in the foreign land o’ Spain